# Hot salsa and wimpy Canadians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659 "2010-12-10T14:37:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/21 "2010-12-10T19:44:52Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I love spicy food; the hotter, the better. Sadly, I may no longer partake; I’ll spare you the details. > > Is there not a South or Central American stall in the ByWard market? Or some little hole in the wall way north off Bronson? I remember one of our Stage Managers took me along on a shopping expedition that included some odd out-of-the-way places where we got various things like salsa. It’s been 4 years since I was in Ottawa, but I’ll see if I can find any trace of specialty delis… There’s no doubt some spicy salsa to be found _somewhere_ in Ottawa, however it can’t be found at any of your normal chain grocery stores. I’m out in the Carp area, and so driving downtown for a $3 jar of salsa is a bit out of the way! I might pop into Bells Corners this weekend and see what I can find. (I’m pretty sure that place in the Market has been closed for a few years now.) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/22 "2010-12-10T20:08:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yes, they’re also not hot, and have a shelf (fridge) life of about a week. 1. I’ve definitely had hot salsa in little plastic tubs. In Michigan, which surprised me, as I tend not to have a high regard for Midwesterners’ tolerance for spicy things. 2. Who lets salsa last for a week anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/23 "2010-12-10T20:23:28Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Here in my neighborhood in DC, neither of the two grocery stores regularly carry hot sauce. I have to drive down to **Columbia Heights (shudder)**, or Maryland. You want serious hot sauce without having to interact with actual Hispanic people? Or what? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/24 "2010-12-10T20:47:21Z")
Anybody else here like Tabasco on popcorn? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/25 "2010-12-10T20:53:56Z")
Hot salsa is for WIMPS! When I’m craving the taste of authentic heat, I just swish a little gasoline in my mouth and toss in a lighted match. There’s nothing like tasting charred tastebuds with charred tastebuds! Which is pretty much what the experience of eating hot salsa is all about. Make my salsa mild, if you please! ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/26 "2010-12-10T20:58:11Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > There’s no doubt some spicy salsa to be found _somewhere_ in Ottawa, however it can’t be found at any of your normal chain grocery stores. This is a 100% true statement. I’ve tried too. It also did not exist at any of the three or four “Mexican” restaurants I tried in Ottawa. I don’t get it. Canada, in general, is getting increasingly multi-cultural. Ottawa, in particular, is the capital of the country, with a built in customer base of diplomats, tourists, and so on (and the odd wayward job-hunter) from all over the world, yet it’s impossible to get more adventurous with spice than maybe a little basil in the pasta sauce. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/27 "2010-12-10T21:00:32Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Anybody else here like Tabasco on popcorn? Sure. Tabasco goes with everything. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/28 "2010-12-10T21:04:06Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > This is a 100% true statement. I’ve tried too. It also did not exist at any of the three or four “Mexican” restaurants I tried in Ottawa. > > I don’t get it. Canada, in general, is getting increasingly multi-cultural. Ottawa, in particular, is the capital of the country, with a built in customer base of diplomats, tourists, and so on (and the odd wayward job-hunter) from all over the world, yet it’s impossible to get more adventurous with spice than maybe a little basil in the pasta sauce. There are some pretty decent ethnic restaurants here, **Frank**. Mexicali Rosa’s and The Lone Star don’t qualify! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/29 "2010-12-10T21:13:51Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > There are some pretty decent ethnic restaurants here, **Frank**. > > Mexicali Rosa’s and The Lone Star don’t qualify! 😉 I _think_ I might have tried The Lone Star, if it’s downtown in a hotel. I’m sure I missed some good ones; I didn’t eat out as much as I normally would since I was trying to conserve money. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/30 "2010-12-10T21:22:19Z")
I live smack dab in the middle of Texas so I have no problem getting my hands on just about any hot sauce or salsa from any point on the Scoville scale at any time. Hell, I can even go to a 7-11 and pick up something that would probably kill your average Canadian. But if I weren’t so blessed, I don’t think I’d use up the inter-tubes whining about it. I think I’d use the inter-tubes to [just order some](http://www.hotsauceworld.com/salsa.html) and have it delivered to my house. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/31 "2010-12-10T21:24:00Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Salsa is about the easiest thing in the world to make. Make your own, it’ll be as hot as you want and it will taste better than the jar as well. > > Also about 10X cheaper. Really - just chop some jalepenos, onion, tomatos, maybe some bell pepper… You can add a touch of vinegar to brighten it if you like or a pinch of sugar to take the edge off a bit - try until you find a combination you like, playing with your food is fun. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/32 "2010-12-10T21:24:37Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > It fucking chaps my ass when people call spice-haters like me “wimps”. When you eat things that are hot, it’s like you’re saying “You know what would go great with this? A punch in the face.” and then when I disagree, you go on and on about how not-really-hot it is. That’s like going “Aw come on, it’s not really a punch. It’s more of a slap, really. Just a light tap on the cheek.” as if that really makes it better. > > I have a fool-proof method for improving any spicy food. Make it not spicy anymore. Instantly better! > > I realize that people have different tastes, but there’s nothing wimpy about not desiring to be in pain when I eat. That’s hilarious, but basically I know what you mean. Sometime I like a tiny bit of spice, but very little. I once saw this [Scoville Heat Scale](http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp)of various peppers, and the most I like is at the pepperoncini level, which is practically at the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/33 "2010-12-10T22:19:59Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > What? I could get Herdez brand (which is way better than Pace for jarred salsa) in hot in my local grocery in central virginia. > > You should drive to Manassas and hit the Global Foods - a mammoth pan-Asian, pan-Latino megamart of goodness. Columbia Heights is one metro stop from me, if that bugs me, imagine how I’d feel about traffic on 66 to go to a grocery store in Manassas 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/34 "2010-12-10T22:27:58Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > There are some pretty decent ethnic restaurants here, **Frank**. When I did Barber of Seville in '98, my apartment was around the corner from Celonta, a Sri Lankan restaurant which was fantastic. They understood ‘hot’. It became my mission to try everything on the menu at least once… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/35 "2010-12-10T23:19:10Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > …I realize that people have different tastes, but there’s nothing wimpy about not desiring to be in pain when I eat. What you call pain I call pleasure. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/36 "2010-12-10T23:45:56Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > What you call pain I call pleasure. Didn’t Marquise de Salsa say that? ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/37 "2010-12-10T23:53:17Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That’s hilarious, but basically I know what you mean. > > Sometime I like a tiny bit of spice, but very little. I once saw this [Scoville Heat Scale](http://www.chilliworld.com/FactFile/Scoville_Scale.asp)of various peppers, and the most I like is at the pepperoncini level, which is practically at the bottom. Granted, pepperoncinis are intended to be eaten whole, unlike most peppers. I usually eat the pepperoncini that comes in with the pizza and it burns quite a bit (and I do like spicy foods). ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/38 "2010-12-10T23:53:55Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > If you need hot spicy sauces in Toronto, go to the Indian/Pakistani or Vietnamese sections of the city and try their grocery stores. You might even be able to find the odd jar of hot Mexican-style salsa. Forget about roadtripping to Buffalo. Even though plenty of Canadians already do that for beer and specialty food items, the selection of salsa on grocery store shelves around here is pathetic, even at Premier Gourmet and Wegmans. Mrs. Renfro’s is about as exotic as you’ll find here. (Buffalo’s Mexican population is minuscule. The Spanish speakers around here are mostly Puerto Rican, and they’re not known for their salsa.) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/39 "2010-12-11T00:25:32Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Columbia Heights is one metro stop from me, if that bugs me, imagine how I’d feel about traffic on 66 to go to a grocery store in Manassas 🙂 Grocery store??? Maybe you missed the part where its a \*\* a mammoth pan-Asian, pan-Latino megamart of goodness\*\*. Dude - it’s 51,000 square feet, approximately the size of an entire small Wal-Mart but filled with FOODZ. No one, and I mean NO ONE loathes Manassas more than I do, and even I say it’s worth the trip. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659/40 "2010-12-11T06:17:44Z")
No kidding. I like my salsa hot and it’s pretty hard to find any salsa labeled hot up here. Time and time again I’ll go into a grocery store and see rows and rows of mild and medium but no hot in most places wouldn’t kill them to put a few hot salsa’s jars on the shelf. Infact, I don’t find the hot salsa that hot at all. When it makes me sweat and clears up my sinuses now where talking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-salsa-and-wimpy-canadians/563659.md?page=3)